Textile handling apparatus



Feb. 8, 1966 H. L. BEFORE TEXTILE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 4. 1965 \NVENTOR HARQY LDE'FORE Y United States Patent 3,233,290 TEXTILE HANDLING APPARATUS Harry L. Defore, Spartanhurg, SJC., assignor to Deering Milliiren Research Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 256,1i66 1 Claim. (Cl. 19-159) This invention relates to an improved textile handling arrangement and method, and more particularly to an improved sliver or drawing take-up arrangement which is specifically useful to permit the collection of a greater amount of sliver or drawing in a given exterior sized sliver can than is accomplished with conventional available cans and take-up arrangements.

It has longbeen considered desirable to collect the maximum possible amount of sliver or drawing in a given can size. As used herein, the terms sliver and drawing are interchangeable and synonymous for all practical purposes of the invention. Various methods and arrangements have been attempted in the past to increase this collection quantity in given can sizes, including the use of a simple tubular can with a fixed bottom end, which will permit a maximum collection of sliver but has the disadvantage that the sliver is not guided in a precise path during a large percentage of the collection process due to the bottom being so far spaced from the coiler bonnet or coiler head assembly which is normally disposed at the open tube of the sliver can. Other methods and arrangements for collecting sliver have included the employment of spring biased movable bottom sliver cans, with the movable bottom being a false bottom resiliently urged upwardly by a spring disposed between this false bottom and fixed bottom end. This tends to overcome the deficiency of the fixed bottom can in providing a collection surface during the initial portion of the collection cycle which is somewhat closer to the coiler head than the fixed bottom cans, but has the major deficiency of not permitting a maximum quantity of sliver to be collected in a given external can size due to the presence of the false bottom and spring within the can. Also, in such spring biased bottomed cans the bottom does not uniformly move to the top of the can but is usually disposed at varying distances beneath the open top of the can, thus not providing an initial precise distance between the coiler head assembly and the collection surface formed by the movable false bottom of the can, with resulting inaccuracy of lay of the sliver in the can.

It is a major feature of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for collecting textile sliver material with a conventional coiler head assembly, and which has the advantage of permitting a substantially maximum quantity of sliver to be collected in a given can size, while also providing for precise positioning of the sliver on the collection surface of the can and each succeeding layer laid thereon during the entire sliver collection process, from the point of initial fitting and laying of the sliver on the can bottom until the can is completely full.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a method and apparatus for sliver collection which incorporates a sliver collection can with a free bottom, which free bottom is raised by a piston mounted externally of the can and within the can table assembly.

Still a further feature is the provision of a sliver can "ice table assembly of novel construction having a vertically movable piston disposed therein for moving a movable bottom of a can positioned thereover as a function of vertical movement of the piston.

Still other features and attendant advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from reading from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment constructed according to the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a sliver take-up arrangement according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plane view of the sliver can of FIG- URE 1.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawing, the invention broadly includes the provision of a sliver collection can 11 open at its top end and having a movable bottom in the form of a vertically freely slidable plate 13, the can being removably supported on a can table assembly generally indicated at 21 and having a vertically movable piston 31 disposed therein and forming a part thereof. This piston 31 serves to raise the bottom plate 13 to a position adjacent the open top end of the can and the bottom surface of the coiler bonnet or coiler head assembly generally indicated at 41 which serves to guide and lay a rope of sliver or drawing into the can 11.

The coiler bonnet assembly 41 may be of any suitable combination construction, and normally includes a trumpet 41a, calender rolls 41b and a tube gear 410, having an inclined guide orifice 41d formed therein for guiding the sliver material into the can in a circular pattern offcenter of the sliver can axis.

The can table assembly 21 includes a can table 23 having a can table gear 25 rotatably carried thereon. The can table gear 25 and tube gear 410 are rotatably driven at a desired speed ratio with respect to one another and the rate of delivery of the sliver forming apparatus, this being conventionally an intermediate gear train arrangement 43 connecting between the can table 25, the tube gear 410 and the drive means 61 for the draw frame or other apparatus for producing the sliver which is being taken up in the can 11. As in conventional sliver takeup arrangements, the axis of the tube gear 410 is ofiset from the axis of the can table gear 25 and can 11, and the can table gear is rotated at a substantially lower rate than the tube gear 410, in order to form the desired loop type lay of the sliver in the can 11.

The can 11 has an inturned annular lip 11a formed at its bottom end which serves as a bottom limit stop or support for the bottom plate 13 of the can. Also, the bottom plate 13 may be formed with a down-turned annular flange 13a to add rigidity thereto, if desired; however, the flange 13a should preferably be as short as possible, while still giving the desired strength, in order to permit the bottom plate to move to the lowermost possible position within the can 11 and thereby provide for a maximum content of sliver material within the can 11.

The piston 31 is preferably disposed in a centered position within an opening formed in each of the can table gear 25 and can table 23 to accommodate vertical movement of the piston. In the present embodiment the piston 31 is not rotated with the can table gear 25 and therefore it is desirable that means be provided for insuring rotation of the bottom plate 13 with the main body of the can. This may be accomplished by forming a small smoothly rounded vertical guide key 111) on the inner surface of the main tubular can 11, with a corresponding complementary guide groove 13b formed in the side of the bottom plate 13, it being desirable to make this guide key as small as possible while still accomplishing the desired rotation of the bottom plate in order to prevent undue disturbance of the coils of sliver during collection in the can 11.

The piston 31 has an enlarged upper head end 31a, and may be guided along its lower shaft portion 3112 by any suitable guide means 35. The shaft 31b of the pistdn may pass through an opening 33 in the floor F on which the can table assembly 21 rests.

The piston 31 may be raised, and controllably biased upwardly during feeding of sliver into the can 11, by any of various different motion applying and biasing means, such as external weight means, spring means, or fluid pressure means. In the present illustrative embodiment, this raising and biasing action on the piston 31 is effected through the medium of a weight system, in which a weight W is disposed in a weight guide tube 37 supported on the floor F, the weight W being carried by a cable 39 passing about idler pulleys 40 to a storage capstan 45 fixed on a gear 47 meshing with rack teeth 49 formed on the shaft 31b ofthe piston. Thus, the weight W applies a constant upward force to the piston 31 during the lowering action of the piston by the addition of the sliver" to the can 11, while also providing for raising of the piston 31 and bottom 13 of the sliver can 11 after the empty can is initially placed on the can table assembly 21.

In order to facilitate retention of the piston 31 at a desired position at or adjacent the lower end of its travel for aid in placing of the sliver can on the can table gear 25 initially and for removal of the can upon completion of the filling of the can with sliver, means are preferably provided to releasably retain the weight W at the upper end of its travel, until such time as it is desired to place a new empty sliver can onto the can table gear 25 and again raise the bottom plate 13 for feeding of sliver thereto. This weight retaining means in the illustrative embodiment takes the form of a releasable spring pressed plunger 51 with a cam surface 51a which is engaged by the curved upper surface of the weight W during upward travel of the weight to cam bias the plunger 51 outwardly and permit upward passage of the weight therepast, whereupon the plunger springs back into position beneath the weight W to subsequently retain the weight in an upper position, as shown in FIGURE 1. When it is desired to lower the weight W to raise the piston 31 and bottom plate 13 of the can preparatory to collection of sliver in the can 11, the plunger 51 may be retracted and the weight slowly lowered by hand braking of the travel of the cable 39, it being preferable that the weight W travel to a position in engagement with the floor or other stop at or adjacent the lower end of the guide tube 37, which will correspond to the uppermost desired position of the piston 31 and bottom plate 13 preparatory to feeding of sliver into the can 11. It will be apparent that the weight W may be made of any necessary and desired weighting material, it being desirable that the relative weighting of the weight W with respect to the weight of the piston 31 and can bottom plate 13 be such that at the particular ratio of diameter of the gear 47 with capstan 45 a suitable upward bias force will be applied to the piston 31 substantially in excess of the weight of the piston 31 and botinto the can 11 through the coiler bonnet assembly 41 a suitable feeler switch 65" may be provided on the guide tube 37 adjacent the upper end of the travel of the weight W. This feeler switch 65 will be contacted by the weight W when the weight W is moved to its uppermost position, corresponding to a lowermost or lowermost adjacent position of the bottom plate 13, and preferably just before the bottom plate reaches its extreme lower position in order to provide some measure of safety. The switch 65 is connected in electrical controlling relation to the draw frame or carding machine drive 61 which in turn is connectedin the usual manner to the can table gear 25 and coiler bonnet assembly 41. During normal draw frame or card operation the drive 61 causes the draw frame or card to feed drawing or sliver into can 11 through the coiler bonnet assembly 41 and eflfects rotation of the can table gear 25. Upon stopping of the card or draw frame rive 61 either manually or by the stop motion action of the feeler 65, or otherwise, the coiler bonnet assembly and can table gear will be stopped as will be the feeding of the sliver into the can 11 by the draw frame or card.

In brief summary, the operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The piston 31 will be at its lower end of travel preliminary to placing the can 11 onto the can table gear. In this position the weight W will be retained by the manually releasable spring pressed plunger 51. Upon placing a sliver can onto the can table gear 25 the plunger 51 is retracted and the weight causes the piston 31 and bottom plate 13 to be raised to the topmost position as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1. Thereupon, the draw frame or card drive 61 is acuated and drawing or sliver is fed into the can 11 through the operation of the coiler bonnet 41, while the can talble gear causes rotation of the can 11 to effect collection of the sliver or drawing in the can in a desired pattern. The collection and accumulation of the sliver in the can 11 will force the bottom plate 13 and piston 31 down, While at the same time the upward force exerted on the piston 31 and bottom plate will effect a desired compressive action on the sliver or drawing. This upward compressive action is of considerable value in enabling the collection of a greater quantity of sliver or roving in a given size can. The sliver or drawing collection action will continue until the bottom plate 13 and piston 31 reach a lowermost position in which the weight W will actuate the switch 65, stopping the entire operation, and the weight W will be supported by the cam stop plunger 51. The can 11 will then be removed by'the operator and be replaced with a replacement empty can and the operation will then be repeated.

It will be apparent that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the particular illustrative embodiment disclosed herein but only by the scope of the appended claim.

That which is claimed is:

A sliver take-up arrangement comprising a portable cylindrical sliver can open at both ends and having a circular bottom freely slidable along the inside length of said can, said can having an opening at its normally bottom end and an inturned lip around said opening to provide a lower end stop for said circular bottom, downturned flange means on said circular bottom to provide rigidity to said circular bottom, said flange means abutting said inturned lip when said circular bottom is in the lowest position, means rota-ting said can, complementary guide groove and key means operably associated with said can and said circular bottom to cause said bottom to rotate with said can, support means for said can and having an upper can-supporting surface, said support means having a piston accommodating opening formed therein and extending through its can-supporting upper surface, said sliver can being removably supported on said support means and over said opening, a substantially vertically movable piston disposed within said opening in said support means, said piston being of of a smaller cross-sectional size than the cross-sectional size of said bottom end opening in said can, a counterweight operably associated with said piston, means connecting said counter-weight to said piston for raising said piston as a function of lowering of said counter-Weight, said counter-weight being efiective to exert a vertical upward force on said piston greater than the combined Weight of said piston and bottom plate of said can and selectively releasable means engaging said counter-weight to retain said piston in a retracted lower position.

DONALD 6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1894 Taft 19-.2 8/1919 Cook 19-159 10/1935 Holdsworth 19-159 7/1944 Okies 220-93 9/1962 Eaddy 220-93 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1953 Germany.

1871 Great Britain.

W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

